November 12, 2012 6:01pm ESTNovember 12, 2012 12:26pm ESTWhose comeback this season is more remarkable: Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson? What Peterson is accomplishing this season — less than a year after a devastating knee — injury defies explanation, according to SN's Clifton Brown.

How can that happen? Explain how an all-time great running back gets even better so quickly following major knee surgery. It seems unfathomable, but Peterson is doing it. What Peyton Manning has done after neck surgery is impressive, but Peterson should be the Comeback Player of the Year. In fact, Peterson should get strong consideration for MVP if he leads the Vikings to the playoffs.

Find somebody outside the Vikings’ organization who expected them to be 6-4 through 10 games. Find somebody who expected Peterson to lead the NFL in rushing.

Watching Peterson run is as breathtaking as ever. He breaks tackles with explosive power. He makes violent cuts that leave defenders grasping at air.

People wondered if Peterson would still be a home run hitter when he returned. Fear not. His three longest runs have come during the past three weeks—a 64-yarder against the Buccaneers, a 74-yarder against the Seahawks and a 61-yarder Sunday against the Lions.

Peterson is getting stronger as the season progresses, not weaker. He leads the NFL in rushing with 1,128 yards. Marshawn Lynch (1,005 yards) is the only other back over 1,000 yards.

Early in the season, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier worried about giving Peterson too much work too soon. Not anymore. Only Arian Foster and Lynch have more rushing attempts than Peterson, who hasn't missed a game while remaining a workhorse back.

It’s not like the Vikings have this great passing game to take the pressure off Peterson either. Christian Ponder played well against the Lions on Sunday, but he’s had two games in which he passed for fewer than 100 yards. Opponents load the box to stop Peterson every week. Doesn’t matter. They can’t contain Peterson, even when they know he is coming. Vikings star wide receiver Percy Harvin was out of the lineup Sunday, so simply carried more of the load, with a season high-27 carries for 171 yards.

During a normal season, Manning would be the hands-down best comeback story. Manning is also an MVP candidate and the Broncos look like a legit Super Bowl contender.

However, Peterson’s comeback season is extraordinary. At a position where losing even half a step can end a career, Peterson hasn't lost anything. He was already a marvelous running back. Now Peterson is a medical marvel as well.